I was seeing a 7-year-old interview of Simi Grewal with Ratan Tata. This interview describes his career journey. Ratan Tata, the successor and the chairman of Tata Groups, is an undisputed leader in Indian history. He did his architecture and structural engineering in the USA. He even worked there for a few years as an architect and structural engineer. He has no intension to come back, but his love for his grandparents bought him back to India. He was not settled there thoroughly, but he was happily employed. His grandpa asked him to come back and because he was closed to his grandpa he came back to her. After the divorce of his parents his grandpa grew him and his brother After 15 days of returning from the USA, he was sent to Jamshedpur. He was 25 years old at that time. He was told to stay in an apprentice hotel and worked on the shop floor for a period of 6 months in telecommunication. He also worked for a couple of years in CISCO on the shop floor. He was attached to various production departments. He was in blast furnaces near the furnace in the steel melting shop. He had done everything that a normal employee of a production company does. He was attached to many superintendents. His grandmother died when he was at the junction of his career. He sometimes went back to that times and wished to leave the country but it becomes more difficult to pack and move again. He, as architecture had a chance to build a house. In fact, he still had to build a house in 2012. He was asked by Simi Garewal that did he knew where he was going? He replied, "No", he didn't know where he was going and that's why he almost went back for 7 to 8 years. Things changed much later in life for him. But till that time he had done a lot of hard work and worked at ground level. Things changed when he got involved Elko which is a small electronic that nobody wanted to do in firefighting. Things became challenging and interesting. After that he started enjoying things and after he joined he never looked back. During his rendezvous, he shares his experiences working with Mr Jamshedpur Tata. He said it was wonderful. Some people think that he is related to him. But that's not the case. He was not related to him. He got to know about him when he was in Jamshedpur or over a common interest in flying club. Ratan Tata had set up a flying club at his behest in Jamshedpur and that's made when they came close to each other. They shared common interest like new technology, flying club, new computer, etc. which gave them a common ground to talk. One secret of Mr.J.Tata is that he is wonderful at playing Dumsharas. Ratan Tata describes him in a beautiful way. He (Mr J.Tata) was a wonderful human being with lovely human qualities. He is totally humbled and very self-effacing. He would never let anyone check him in and when he flew he would always stand in line to at a check-in counter. He even drove his car home every evening. He used to do his work himself.
How Ratan Tata became chairman?
There both were in Jamshedpur for a function and then Ratan had to go to Stuttgart for some negotiations with Mercedes Bens and when he came back he heads that J.Tata had a heart problem and he was in Breach Candy hospital. He was there for almost a week there. Ratan Tata goes to him every day and sees him. And after a week on Friday, he was discharged. Next week, on Monday Ratan Tata, went to meet him in his office and as always meeting started with J. Tata asking, " What's new". After meeting over and everyone dispersed J.Tata asked him to sit down as he wanted to talk with him. He said that he needs to step down due to ongoing problems there and had decided that Ratan Tata should be his successor. After a few days, he took this offer to board on 25th March 1991 and that was the day when Mr Ratan Tata took the position as next chairman in The Tata group of Companies. That was the beginning of a new era in the history of Tata.
Ratan Tata has learned a few things from him and carries with him always. Mr J. Tata had a sense of justice. He was always fair and just. He always did what he considered to be the right thing irrespective of how difficult it was and he stood up from principles and he stood by people. He even stood by Ratan Tata when he was in trouble in Naoko. His value system, his simplicity, his sense of justice were all things which Ratan Tata carry with him. Ratan Tata has always kept his words. Tata group had face losses but never sacrificed their principles for short term Materialistic aims.
Conclusion-
Without a family, without a child, without a wife, Ratan Tata even felt lonely, but his dedication to word, commitments and patriotism towards the country didn't let him feel alone. His hero was John Kennedy at that time as he was in the USA. I would quote his words in the letter to Mr J. Tata from him:
"You set higher standards highest on integrity that I've seen in anyone in the manner in which you've conducted yourself.